


Please, Remember

by not_issabella



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Dream Smp, M/M, Memory Loss, Multi, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:33:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29023524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_issabella/pseuds/not_issabella
Summary: “The last thing he remembers was how he time traveled again. He knows he should have stopped, they told him to,begged him to,but he couldn’t help it. That little voice inside his head told him he needed to- wait.They begged him to stop.Who’s they?”Or Sapnap and Quackity want to comfort him, but Karl just wants to remember
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs, Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Alexis | Quackity/Sapnap, Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 13
Kudos: 422





	Please, Remember

He woke up, vision slightly blurry and head buzzing as he laid on the grass. The night air was humid as he sat up and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, lightning bugs twinkling around him as if they were trying to somehow communicate to him. Maybe trying to tell him where he was. Maybe trying to help him. Who knows. 

He pushed himself to his feet, immediately becoming dizzy, having to steady himself. He closed his eyes tight, vague colors swirling his vision before he reopened them. He saw lights in the distance, looking to be a town? City? Village? He couldn’t tell, but whatever it was, it had been through a lot, looking blown up and messy but loved nonetheless, undoubtedly holding many memories. He could see a giant ominous building, dark shadows casting over it. He could see a statue built of a pretty girl holding a flower, somehow still in tact despite the land around it being in shambles. He could see a stage, seemingly thrown together, but as he looked at the twinkling glowstone the stagelights were made of, he felt some sort of connection to it. Weird. 

He started walking towards the lights and buildings, hoping to find someone to help him find his way back to..... Where exactly? He would say home, but he wasn’t quite sure where ‘home’ was. The last thing he remembers was how he time traveled again. He knows he should have stopped, they told him to, _begged him to,_ but he couldn’t help it. That little voice inside his head told him he needed to- wait. 

They begged him to stop. 

Who’s they? 

He pondered it, and it was almost as if the stars twinkled in unison as a warm feeling in his chest erupted, and he swore he could feel the ghost of a set of strong arms wrapping around his torso from the back, a smaller set around his waist from the front before they were gone. It was almost as if the uncomfortable warm breeze brushed them away. He was, well.... He was cold without them, even in the sticky, still nighttime air. He didn’t know if it was his eyes playing tricks on him, but he was almost positive the stars dulled for a moment. Who were they?

He kept walking, head pounding and back aching as he tried to remember. He had to remember. Please please please please just... Just... _remember_. He opened his eyes, not even realizing that they had slipped shut in his frustration. He acknowledged that getting worked up wouldn’t get him anywhere, so he took a deep breath, the air almost suffocating, _why was is so hot?_ and tried to collect all his thoughts. He decided the best idea would be to try his hardest and go over everything he is able to recall. First things first, he knows his name. Karlos. Wait, no, Pretty Boy. Fuck! It’s Karl! Karl Jacobs! He slammed his eyes shut in frustration once again, doing no favors for the migraine he was suffering through, sparks flying behind his eyelids. He then shook his head, almost as if he was trying to shake the wrong information out of it. Where did Karlos come from? What kind of name is Pretty Boy? He was getting nauseous, everything felt backwards. Familiar feelings causing his heart to ache as he tries his best to remember, but unfamiliar thoughts bouncing around his head, abusing his brain. His stupid, forgetful brain. He tries to remember again. He knows there was... someone who cares about him, or maybe even two people? Were they friends? Roommates? Fuck, he shouldn’t have time traveled again. He promised them that he wouldn’t, whoever ‘they’ were. He knows that. He _remembers_ that. He just didn’t remember enough. The memories so close, yet just out of reach. 

He, _Karl_ he reminds himself, didn’t realize how close he had gotten to civilization until he could distantly hear yelling. He turned his head towards the sounds of loud, screechy amusement mixed with young joy-filled chuckles. He was met with the sight of a tall blonde boy laughing loudly at who knows what, sitting next to another boy laying on the ground looking up at the stars, dirt slightly smudged across his cheek and shirt disheveled. Karl watched as the taller one reached between them and grabbed a jar, struggling to open it. He then saw him hand it over to the brunette as he sat up, and then opened the jar with ease. The two were silent in a moment of shock before they simultaneously burst out in a fit of giggles. The same ones that lured Karl here in the first place. He watched as the lightning bugs collected flew out of the jar and surrounded the two before dispersing into the stars. Karl smiled slightly at the sight, unable to help the warm feeling that filled his heart watching the moment that was shared between T.... To... and... Tub... Karl’s breath quickened as he felt the thought he was having disintegrate away. He crinkled his eyebrows in frustration, eyes stinging as he felt heat start to form behind them. He was about to remember something but he just.... He just _couldn’t_. He wanted to scream. 

The blonde looked up at him, eyes widening in surprise before knocking the other with his elbow and gesturing to where Karl was stood. The shorter looked and his face morphed into one of surprise and then and excitement. He waved, and Karl waved back. Was he supposed to know them? They must have noticed the confusion on his face because the one in the red shirts face dropped a bit before giving him a thumbs up, offering a questioning look, eyes softening. Karl nodded without thinking, giving a thumbs up in response. That seemed to be enough for the boys and they went back to messing around on the grass. 

He had no idea why he didn’t ask for help from them. Maybe it was because he didn’t want to ruin the moment the two were sharing. He knew how important it was to let kids be kids and he didn’t want to push his bad memory problem onto them. Kid....Bad memory.... Something about that almost connected in Karl’s brain. He almost remembered the crown he wore. The two different colored eyes. The black and white split. Almost. 

Huh. 

He wondered down the wood path, trying his best to not look at lost as he was. He carefully made his way through the broken down land, looking around. A shimmer of a busted flint and steel caught his eye, and he stepped over to it. He crouched down, knees cracking. He grabbed it in his hands, feeling.... Something swell in his chest. Thoughts bubbling up of messy brown curls and the color... Blue..? Just as quick as the memory emerged, it was whisked away, hope replaced, once again, with frustration.

He knew now that he... Belonged here? He had to. There are too many almost-memories connected to everything he saw. The statue of the girl reminded him of squeaky awkward laughs, and the church peeking over the horizon reminded him of Dream. He.... remembers Dream. Weird. 

Karl made his way over to the stage with the twinkly glowstone he saw when he first woke up. He slowly made his way up onto it, footsteps echoing on the wood. He sat down crisscross before his whole body started filling with overwhelming feelings. If he tried hard enough he could hear loud giggles, and embarrassed voices belting out songs. He felt the memory slip away from him and for some reason this one..... hurt. Hurt worse to let go of than the rest. He let out a sob. It was loud and ugly, the echo off the wood only amplifying it. He let himself lay back, head hitting off the floor of the stage hard and he winced in pain for a second before it blended with the previous pain of the headache he _still had_. 

He let himself watch the stars for a second before they became blurred with his tears and his eyes burned too much to stay open. He wanted to remember. He wanted it so bad it hurt, but everytime he was close to knowing where he was or who he knew the thought was stolen from him. 

_It wasn’t fair_

He let himself soak in the silence before he heard a set of shoes slowly climb the stairs to the stage. He quickly sat himself up and wiped his tears away on his sleeves before taking a deep breath and preparing himself for the fact he’s going to have to face someone and probably talk to them. Does he act like everything’s fine, or does he tell them the truth. That he needs help. That he can’t remember. 

He doesn’t have time to decide before he hears the shoes pause for a second before running towards him. 

“Karl? Karl!” 

He felt the arms fling around him and he jumped before melting into the embrace because for the first time since he’s been back here something felt _right_. The other man pulled back a bit, grabbing at the sides of Karl’s face and pulling it up, forcing him to look the other in the eyes. Karl noticed just how pretty the other man was. He was just shorter than him, but had broad shoulders and protective arms. His hair was dark and pulled into messy space buns, a white headband resting on his forehead. Karl also noticed how his eyes were glistening with tears, and for some reason even though truthfully he had no idea who this man was, he would do anything to prevent him from feeling this sad again. 

“Karl fuck. We missed you so much, _I_ missed you so much. I’ve been coming here almost every day since you went missing because it reminds me of you. Of when we did karaoke when we were first getting together. Remember that Pretty Boy? Remember? Oh my god, Quackity! He’s gonna freak the fuck out! We have to get home to him!” 

Karl looked at him blankly. Karaoke? Getting together? Quackity? _Pretty Boy?_

The other boy stood up, grabbing his hand and pulling him up with him. Karl swayed a bit, migraine and aching bones still affecting him. The other took notice and put his hands on his shoulders. Eyes softening as he calmed down a bit, getting a proper look at Karl. He squirmed a bit under the other boys gaze, uncomfortable with the wide brown eyes raking over him, safe and trusting, but unfamiliar nonetheless. It hurt because he knows he should know. He wants to know. But he just _doesn’t._

“Karl are you okay? You look all roughed up and your sweatshirts all messy.” The shorter man said, concern written across his features. He reached out and grabbed his arm with one hand and used his other to cup his face, thumb rubbing against his cheek. He flinched a bit, pain sparking through his face. 

“You’ve got a pretty bad bruise here too" He observed, voice soft. Karl looked him in the eye and gasped a bit as he saw something. He saw the same warm eyes looking at him now looking at him from the other side of a table while sitting next to another man. He was another pretty boy, he had a hat and.... And before he could get a grasp on the thought it was gone, the disappointment of forgetting becoming all to familiar. 

The boy gave him an unreadable look before interlocking their fingers and walking. Karl reveled in the warmth between them, while the other hummed a tune. 

He lead them to a cozy home, the lanterns outside catching his eye. He can almost feel the warmth of being caught in strong arms after losing his balance trying to hang them up. Can almost hear the annoyed laughter that followed after he made the Teen Beach Movie reference. Almost. 

All the sudden he was inside, aware of the fact he was now surrounded by the cool air of the air conditioning instead of the humid sticky air outside. The boy who’s name he still wasn’t sure of looked around for a bit before letting out a soft, “Looks like he’s not home yet.” and Karl nodded along despite not being positive as to who he was talking about. His eyes landed on the photos littering the place. The first one he noticed was the one hanging on the wall above the tv. It was of Karl and the black haired boy, as well as three others. One was wearing a blue shirt with a red box on it, as well as sunglasses resting on his head. The tallest had blonde hair and was holding a mask that had a black smile on it in his hand _Dream, he knew him for some reason_. Finally the last boy was the shortest and he had on a beanie and one of the cutest smiles he had ever seen. Part of him hoped that was the “Quackity” it seemed him and the other boy lived with. He then walked over to the fireplace, observing the pictures and small mementos resting on it. He grabbed a card off of it, opening it and letting his eyes scan across the page. The note was written in neat handwriting with a glittery pen, the ink shimmering in the warm light of the house. It was from someone named “Nikki” and was addressed to “Karl, Quackity and Sapnap”. Sapnap! That was his name! Karl felt satisfaction at the fact he could finally stop fussing over not knowing. His eyes stayed trained on the younger boys name, tears threatening to well again. These two guys were obviously an important part of his life and he was such a lousy friend? Partner? He couldn’t even remember their names or what they looked like. He didn’t deserve them. He put the card back up and started to observe the photos sitting next to it. One was one of the black haired boy, Sapnap he reminds himself, on Dreams back, and the one with the sunglasses on his. Karl let out a soft smile looking at the joy on Sapnaps face, and distantly wondered if sunglasses boy was Quackity. The next picture was of Karl, the sunglasses boy and the cute beanie boy all looking at the camera with straight faces. He let his gaze linger on the boy in the hat. The last picture on the fireplace was of Karl, Sapnap, and the beanie boy. Karl was stood between them, the two of them pressing their lips against the sides of his face. Karl felt himself flush at the picture and mindlessly let his hand reach up to touch his cheek, almost feeling the warmth of the kisses there before Sapnap interrupted his thoughts. 

“Hey Pretty Boy, Quackity’s gonna be home soon, okay? You don’t have to talk to me yet if you don’t want but I just want you to know that I.... I know you don’t remember anything- or that you’re having a hard time remembering or something like that, but I love you so much, and I’m so glad that you’re okay.” He said, voice wavering a bit as he fiddled with the sliver necklace sitting around his neck. 

Karl nodded before turning towards him and hesitating for a second before walking towards the shorter and wrapping his arms around his waist. He didn’t know why he was doing this other than the fact it felt right, he didn’t want him to feel sad. Sapnap hesitated for a second before hugging him back, maybe a bit too hard. When they pulled away the older noticed that the others face was wet with tears. He rested his palms on the sides of his head, much like the other had done to him back at the stage, and used his thumbs to wipe them away. The shorter let out a short laugh and leaned into Karl’s touch, moving one of his hands to hold the others wrist. 

“Um... I grabbed you some clothes to change into and I can throw the stuff you’re in in the wash if that’s okay with you” Sap said to him, voice hardly above a whisper. Karl nodded, pulling his hands away but not missing the way Sapnaps head slightly followed not wanting the warmth to leave him. Sap handed him the clothes he was holding and Karl took them gratefully. He held them in his hands for a second before hesitantly talking, uttering out his first words since being back at this....place. 

“Can you um...” He started, having to clear his throat before continuing.   
“Can you please turn around?” he asked softly, and Sapnap looked surprised for half a second before nodding and obliging. Karl quickly changed before announcing he was done. Sap turned back around and grabbed the dirty clothes from his hands, telling him that he was going to start the wash, and that he’d be right back. Karl sat on the couch and took note of what he was wearing. He had on a sweatshirt that was slightly too big, sleeves falling over his hands and a flame printed on the front. He was also wearing a pair of basketball shorts that fell to his upper thigh. He reached up to adjust his hood that was currently inside out, and as he went to fix it he was wearing a silver necklace matching the one Sapnap had. He held the cool metal in his hand, examining the engraving on the charm. “K/S/Q <3”. He didn’t get the chance to think much about it when he heard the door open and close. He went to turn towards the sound, but before he could even look he was being smothered in a hug. 

“Karlos!” He heard a man yell.   
“Oh my god I missed you so much you don’t even understand. I’m so glad you’re back.” The man pulled away from the embrace and Karl was able to see who he was. It was the beanie guy. 

Sapnap came back in the room with a small chest labeled “First Aid” in messy handwriting. He gave a small smile to who he assumed was Quackity before he kneeled on the floor in front of the two on the couch, setting the box on the coffee table behind him. Quackity and Sapnap leaned towards eachother and Karl was confused for half a second before the two shared a quick kiss and the tallest felt his eyes widen. Quackity offered a weak smile at the reaction. 

Sapnap grabbed the wet cloth he brought out with him and started lightly wiping Karl’s face. As he did this Quackity ran his fingers through Karl’s hair, something he knew he liked, even if Karl himself didn’t remember he did. He winced as Sap ran the rag over the bruise on his cheek, breaking the silence as he let out a soft whine. 

“Sorry sorry sorry” He let out, pulling his hand back. He leaned forward to press a kiss to the tip of Karl’s nose, but the older pulled back without thinking, still unfamiliar with the younger no matter how much he wishes he wasn’t. Sapnaps face dropped, and he tried to hide it but both of the other guys noticed. 

“I’m sorry I-“ Karl started, but Sap cut him off. He said, “No, no Karl you’re fine. I understand you’re confused and stuff, I didn’t mean to it was just instinct.” He tried to explain. Karl felt bad, he genuinely did, but he just didn’t feel comfortable with kissing a stranger, even if it wasn’t actually a stranger. Quackity pulled his hand from where it was tangled in Karl’s locks, and placed it awkwardly in his lap. 

The three sat in silence as Sapnap finished cleaning up Karl and his wounds. Thankfully he wasn’t left with anything too major, the worst injury was on his knee, but the cut wasn’t too deep. Sap took out a bandaid from the chest and giggled to himself as he opened it. After he put it on the other two leaned over to look at it and starting laughing along when they saw it had a little cartoon dog printed on it. When Sap was all done he stood up, slightly wobbly as his legs were falling asleep, but managed to regain his balance. He stretched, back cracking a bit and shirt lifting just slightly, and Karl couldn’t help but rake his eyes over the exposed skin. The youngest let out a breathy laugh before asking if there’s anything else Karl needs to make him feel better. Karl told him about his head, and he nodded saying that he’ll be back with something to help with that. 

When Sapnap left the room, Quackity readjusted how he was sitting, shifting to face the oldest head on. Quackity was trying to make eye contact, he could tell, so he figured the least he could do is give him that. As he looked at his eyes properly he noticed how big they are, and how cute this boy actually was. Karl noticed how his eyes managed to sparkle even in the warm lights from the torches in their home, no matter how cliche that sounded. 

“Hi Karl.” He said, small, almost sad smile on his face. The same small sad smile he was wearing when telling him about a nightmare he had about Schlatt a while back. 

Wait what?

Just like that the memory was gone, and just like that Karl grew more frustrated at himself. He tried to hide it, muttering a “Hi” back, but it seems as though beanie bo- _Quackity_ knows him better than that. 

“What just happened, you got all tense for a second. Are you okay?” He asked, voice full of care and concern. For a second Karl considered denying anything was wrong. Chalking it up to the talking being bad for his headache. He was already enough of a burden on the two, he didn’t want to make it worse, but looking back to the brown eyes in front of him, and thinking back to the way Sapnap ran to him when he first saw him on the stage, he knew deep down that it would only hurt more to keep this from them. 

“Quackity I.... I cant remember. I cant remember and I want to so, _so fucking bad, man_ ” he said, voice starting to strain. He hugged himself, bringing his knees to his chest. He wanted to be able to say that the smell of the sweatshirt on him was familiar, but nothing is familiar anymore. He’s broken. 

It was taking everything in Quackity to not lean forward and take the distressed boy in his arms, but he knew he had been through, and was going through a lot and didn’t want to overwhelm him, thinking back to how he reacted when Sap tried to kiss him. 

“Well,” he started, “What do you know? We can start there.” He said, trying to keep his tone even. 

Karl nodded, “Well I cant say I know much. Heck, when i first woke up I literally couldn’t remember my own name. First I thought it was “Karlos”, then for some reason my brain came up with- with “Pretty Boy”, but now I know my name is Karl. Karl Jacobs.” He said, looking down at his lap. “It’s so pathetic. I was proud of myself for remembering my own _name_.” It was quiet for a second, before Sapnap spoke up from the doorway of the living room. 

“It’s not ‘pathetic’ Karl. You’re going through a lot, okay? So don’t beat yourself up about it, got it?” He said, tone leaving no room to argue. Karl nodded. 

“Also,” Sap continued while handing over the pills as well as a glass of water, “Believe it or not you remembered something.” Karl looked at him confused, but didn’t say anything. 

“You remembered your nicknames. I call you “Pretty Boy” because, well, you’re a pretty boy, and Quackity calls you “Karlos” because he’s a dumbass.” He said, voice now a bit lighter rolling his eyes and letting out a soft giggle at the end of his sentence. 

Karl let out a laugh at that, using the oversized sleeves to wipe away his tears lightly. Quackity let out a “Hey! Why’d you have to name call, that’s fucked up dude.”, but despite the harsh words, his eyes were soft, looking at the younger with undeniable care. Karl smiled at their dynamic, but couldn’t help but wonder how he fit in it. The two obviously already had a thing going, how was Karl included without just getting between them? 

Quackity looked at him as his face dropped and changed the subject back. “What else do you remember, Karl?” He asked. Karl was quiet for a second, hesitating. “I um... I remember Dream.” The boys looked at him quizzically, before Sapnap nodded slowly. Karl nodded back, smile tight on his lips. “I don’t know Karl, it’s pretty messed up that you didn’t remember your boyfriends, but you remember my best friend” Sapnap said sarcastically. Karl didn’t pick up on the sarcasm though, and he panicked, not wanting to upset the other two. He stuttered out an apology in a small voice, panic rising in his chest. 

“Hey, hey. I was just kidding with you Karl, I’m happy you remember something I don’t care if it’s your name, or Dream, or anything, baby. I love you and I want to help you, okay?” His tone was sincere and Karl wanted so badly to say it back but he just couldn’t. He knows deep down that there’s love for Sap and Quackity in there somewhere but for now they’re.... They’re strangers, he’s known them for like an hour. He can’t say he loves them, but he feels for them. They make him feel safe. They make him feel cared for. Karl nodded. 

“Remember anything else?” Quackity asked scooting slightly closer to him on the couch, thighs now pressed together. Karl flinched, almost pulling his leg away but decided against it, instead taking in the heat coming from the shorter. 

Karl’s face twisted as he thought. “I keep like... Almost remembering things. Like I see something, or hear something or-or _feel_ something and i get a flash of some sort of memory or something but it always fades away.... It really sucks guys. I don’t know this probably doesn’t make sense, just forget I said anythi-” He said before he was cut off by Quackity. 

“Hey, hey take some deep breaths with me Karl, okay? You’re getting yourself all worked up, Sapnap you do them too okay? We’re all gonna take deep breaths. In...2...3... And.... Out...2...3... good job. You don’t have to talk right now if you want. We can talk about it tomorrow, or the next day, or even later tonight if you’re ready. I want you to know that we care about you, and we’re not gonna make you go through this alone, or think your crazy or a burden or anything like that, got it?” Karl nodded, wide eyed and the shorter nodded back. Karl cleared his throat before speaking up. 

“Can um... can we please talk more tomorrow, I’m tired.” 

The two youngers nodded in agreement, standing up and making their way to their shared room, but Karl stayed sat on the couch. 

“You coming? Our rooms down this hall” Sap said in response to the taller staying put. Karl looked at him wide eyed and shook his head no. He didn’t like the idea of sharing a bed with them, it didn’t feel right. Not only did he not know them that well, he was certain he would just get between them and screw up their relationship. They didn’t deserve to have to deal with him and his forgetfulness. 

Sap and Quackity looked at him in confusion for a second, but not arguing, giving the boy his space. He had been through a lot in the past few hours and they knew that. 

Quackity was the first to speak up, “Okay, well you can sleep on the couch or in the guest room, which is the last door down the hall on the right. The bathroom is right across from it, and me and Sap will be in the room next to it, in case you need literally anything alright? If you do decide to sleep on the couch don’t be afraid to steal blankets from somewhere. Goodnight, I love you”   
“Love you Karl” Sapnap mumbled and the two stood still for one more second before making their ways to their room. They left the door open a crack, which is weird because they almost always slept with the door tightly shut, Karl was the one that always insisted on keeping it open a little bit. Wait, Karl remembered that. Why would he remember that? He prepared himself for when the memory would inevitably slip from him but.... It didn’t. He held onto it as he felt himself fall asleep on the couch, not bothering to get blankets, instead curling up in a ball and shutting his eyes. Behind his eyelids he could see the flickering of the soft light from the torch they left on for him and he drifted off into sleep. They would talk more tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed :) I’ve been way too obsessed w/ Time Traveler Karl recently and just had to write about it :D


End file.
